by Robert Scocchi
| Published
Have you ever seen a 1980s teen romantic comedy fantasy film that is as problematic as it is progressive? Well, if you haven't, you need to check out 1986 Willie Millie. If you haven't heard of this title before, you may want to look up its alternative titles, I was a teenage boy and Something specialbut also know that you can stream right now Willie Millie Free on The Roku Channel at the time of writing.
There's a lot to unpack here, so we might as well get right to it.
The “grass is always greener” scenario.
Willie Millie The film revolves around Millie Naisman (Pamela Adlon), a 14-year-old tomboy who is obsessed with astronomy. Knowing that her father Fred (John Glover) always wanted a son and not a daughter, Millie feels frustrated with her station in life because she believes that being a boy is much easier than being a girl.
Everything changes for Millie when her friend Stephanie's (Mary Tanner Bailey) eccentric younger brother, Malcolm (portrayed by a very young man) turns up. Seth Green In one of his first roles), he sells her a magic spell that will grant her a wish in the form of her deepest, darkest desire that comes true if she follows his specific instructions during the upcoming solar eclipse. As it turns out, Millie's deepest, darkest desire is to become a boy, which manifests itself physically in the form of male genitalia under her nightgown the next day when she wakes up.
Much to the dismay of her mother, Doris (Patty Duke), Millie decides to change her name to Willie and live as a boy, which initially upsets her father. That is until he realizes that he finally has the son he always wanted. Realizing that it would be impossible to explain that Willie was a girl named Millie, Fred arranged for his son to be transferred to a new school so that he could get a fresh start after his transformation.
Unfortunately for Willy, he learns that being a boy has its own difficulties as he tries to navigate teenage life with his new identity. Things keep getting complicated Willie Millie When Willie befriends a wheelchair-bound boy named Alfie (Eric Goree), he feels conflicted by his attraction to Willie, who was a girl only a week ago.
Surprisingly progressive, but an unfortunate product of its time
Given that Willie Millie I saw a 1986 version, and I have to say it's actually quite ahead of its time, socially. When Millie transforms into Willie, Fred does everything he can to make sure his son feels comfortable in his new body. Although Fred leans heavily into the sexual mores he was accustomed to as a man approaching middle age in the 1980s, such as teaching Willy how to box and swearing to become an alpha male, he quickly learns to appreciate Willy for who he is. And he wants to be, never refers to him as “she” after he moves on, and makes several misguided but well-intentioned attempts to make sure his ex-daughter feels like his son after he decides to live his life as a boy.
However, while Farid supports his son's transition to power Willie Milliehe still sees the world through the lens of what today would be considered a blatant example of toxic masculinity. You have to give Fred credit for doing the best he could under the circumstances, however Willie Millie It fails to hold up under the microscope today by the time it reaches its third act when Alfie declares his love for Willie and feels an enormous amount of shame over his feelings.
Moreover, you may find the typical teenager Sex comedy It hits in this context to be a little on the scary side. After all, Alfie and his fellow nerd friends have a secret hiding place in the junkyard where they hide from bullies and try to hook up with girls despite the fact that they have absolutely no game on the romantic front. I found myself cringing whenever Willie went on his expletive tirade in an attempt to come off as sexually experienced because locker room talk could easily be misinterpreted as incredibly forced and misogynistic at times.
One of the movies of all time
Willie Millie It's one of those films that you have to appreciate for being so ambitious, but definitely deserves criticism for not fully committing to the part. On the one hand, it addresses some of the gender issues we face today in a way that can make those struggling with their gender identity feel seen and heard. But every piece of progressive rhetoric (whether intended or not) is present in it Willie Millieit ultimately fails to stick the landing because of how hard it leans into the stereotypical gender norms of decades past.
If you're ready to go on a wholesome and saucy adventure at the same time, you can stream Willie Millie Free on The Roku Channel as of this writing. If you want to delve deeper into the movie, you can check out GenreVision Podcast for more insight and observations.
